Goals for the Attendance Plan

1. A school's response for this section should be in SMART format for improving attendance for each category reported in the data tables.
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic/Rewarding
• Timely
2. Address early grades at your school level (K & 1, 6th Grade, 9th Grade). Analyze school-wide data to determine needs at grade levels and times of year when challenges occur more often.

School attendance data are provided reporting percent of students with satisfactory attendance, at-risk attendance, chronic absenteeism, and severe chronic absenteeism. The two-year trend allows for comparison of attendance over time and an indication of how strategies implemented to improve attendance are working.

Goal 1: In 2017/2018, the total school’s chronic absence for the first semester for grades 6th through 8th included 157 students. Our goal is to reduce the number of students with chronic and severe chronic absenteeism by 15 students (about 10%) for the 2018/19 school year.
Goal 2: Teachers are trained on the attendance plan and their role in intervening when students display attendance concerns. Teachers report students with 3 or more consecutive absence to the Guidance Counselors, so they may intervene.
Goal 3: Guidance counselors provide ongoing monitoring of attendance of students by examining the attendance bulletin monthly (by the 25th of each month).
Goal 4: The School Counselors and Community Liaison target students with 3 or more absences per month, make initial phone contact with parents to discuss reasons for absences and assist in problem solving solutions to rectify the attendance issues.
Goal 5: After 8 absences, School Counselors and Community Liaison initiate Social Worker referrals to further investigate reasons for continued patterns of non-attendance. The Social Worker will follow up with parents, make home visits if necessary, and further assist in providing solutions to resolve attendance issues and concerns.
Quarter 1 Benchmark: By April 30, 2018, less than 10% of students will have 10 or more absences.
Quarter 2 Benchmark: By May 31, 2018, less than 8% of students will have 10 or more absences.

Tier 1 Strategies for Attendance

Tier 1 Strategies for Attendance - Address all five core ingredients. Tier 1 is aimed at 100% of students, parents, school staff, and community stakeholders. This is where you cast a wide net. Strategies are general to reach the largest audiences and include all employees and stakeholders.

Tiered plans will include strategies and interventions for the 5 core ingredients.

• Monitor Data
• Engage Students and Families
• Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• Provide Personalized Outreach
• Remove Barriers

Tier 2 Strategies and Interventions to Improve Attendance

Tier 2 Strategies and Interventions to Improve Attendance - Address all five core ingredients. Tier 2 identifies students using early warning indicators to make connections with students and families at the onset of the school year or emergence of patterns of non-attendance. Early warning indicators include prior year chronic absenteeism, 3 or more absences in the first 4 weeks of enrollment, more than 10% of school days absent in any time period from the beginning of enrollment.

- Tier 2 represents between 10-20% of students at all schools in Broward County. This is true at individual schools and across the District.

- Chronic Absenteeism: Absent for 10% or more school days. These absences include excused, unexcused, and suspensions as days of instruction missed.

Tiered plans will include strategies and interventions for the 5 core ingredients.

• Monitor Data
• Engage Students and Families
• Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• Provide Personalized Outreach
• Remove Barriers

1. Teachers are trained on the attendance plan and their role in intervening when students display attendance concerns. Teachers report students with 3 or more consecutive absences (excused or unexcused) to the Guidance Counselors so they may intervene.

2. Guidance Counselors provide ongoing monitoring of attendance of students by examining the attendance bulletin monthly (by the 25th of each month).

3. Guidance Counselors and Community Liaison to target students with 3 or more absences per month, make initial phone contact with parents to discuss reasons for absences and assist in problem solving solutions to rectify the attendance issues.

4. After 8 absences, School Counselors and Community Liaison initiate Social Worker referrals to further investigate reasons for continued patterns of non-attendance. The Social Worker will follow up with parents, make home visits if necessary, and further assist in providing solutions to resolve attendance issues and concerns.

5. The administrative team will review the attendance report from Opti spool and Datawarehouse on a biweekly basis.

6. Teachers will monitor attendance using BASIS and Pinnacle and consult with support staff for help in managing absenteeism behavior.

7. Guidance Counselors will monitor attendance with the leadership and the SPARKS team to help identify students in need of wrap-around services.

8. All school staff will help identify any family needs and the leadership and the SPARKS team will connect the family with services.

9. The SPARKS team will continually encourage faculty to assist in promoting attendance via e-mail, SharePoint, and during meetings/trainings.

10. The SPARKS team will recognize improved attendance from chronically absent students.

11. The SPARKS attendance initiative to promote students as attendance ambassadors to encourage at risk students in improving attendance.

12. The SPARKS team will conduct ongoing school wide activities to promote attendance.

13. The SPARKS team will recognize students with good and improved attendance on quarterly basis.

14. Connect families with the school social worker and community liaison to provide insight as to their roles, establish relationships, and provide services.

Tier 3 Interventions

Tier 3 Interventions - Address all five core ingredients. Tier 3 is the highest level of intervention and support for students that are absent 20% or more school days during the year.

- At most schools, Tier 3 interventions are utilized for about 5% (or less) of the student population.

Tiered plans will include strategies and interventions for the 5 core ingredients.

• Monitor Data
• Engage Students and Families
• Recognize Good and Improved Attendance
• Provide Personalized Outreach
• Remove Barriers

1. The Guidance Counselors and The SPARKS team will address the students who are at risk due to other challenges and missing 20% or more of school.

2. The teachers are trained on the attendance plan and their role in intervening when students display attendance concerns.

3. Guidance Counselors provide ongoing monitoring of attendance of students by examining the attendance bulletin monthly (by the 25th of each month).

4. The School Counselors and the SPARKS teams target students with 5 or more absences per month, make phone contact with parents to discuss reasons for absences and assist in problem solving solutions to rectify the attendance issues.

5. School Counselors initiate Social Worker referrals to further investigate reasons for continued patterns of non-attendance. The Social Worker will follow up with parents, make home visits if necessary, and further assist in providing solutions to resolve attendance issues and concerns.

6. The SPARKS team will provide tangible incentives to help students and parents improve attendance.

7. The School Social Worker and the Guidance Counselors to refer students with the appropriate service agencies such as HEART.

8. Tangible incentives to help students and parents improve attendance.

9. School social workers to maintain ongoing communication with at risk students and their families.

10. School social workers to implement individual implementation plan for chronic absent students.

11. For cases of suspected abuse, neglect, or abandonment, Reporting to the appropriate agencies will be made.